Annual NFL sack leaders (1960–2020)

by Jason Pauley

I created this grid showing the NFL/AFL sack leader for each season from 1960–2020 with a column for each team that had a leader (not every team has had a player lead the NFL in sacks). It’s a bit of an eye chart, but I wanted this format instead of just a list showing the player and team by year. Hopefully, you can zoom in for more clarity. Below the chart are some bullet points highlighting some interesting nuggets from the data.

Here are some key findings from the data:

• Teams that never had a player lead the league in sacks: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington.
• Teams with the most players who led the league in sacks: LA/STL Rams (9), NY Giants (6), NY Jets (5), Vikings (5), KC Chiefs / Dallas Texans (5).
• From 1960–69 there are multiple leaders listed because there were two leagues (NFL and AFL).
• Gino Marchetti had 11.0 sacks to lead the NFL in 1960 and by default became the all-time “unofficial” career leader in sacks. He would hold the record for three years until Jim Katcavage would take the career record from him in 1963.
• The first 20-sack season came from Jim Katcavage of the NY Giants with 20.0 in 1963.
• From 1963–1968, Deacon Jones led the NFL in sacks 5 times out of 6 years.
• In 1974, the LA Rams had two players both tie for the NFL lead in sacks with Jack Youngblood and Fred Dryer getting 15.0 sacks each. They also got 11.0 sacks from Larry Brooks. Unsurprisingly, they led the league in the fewest points allowed per game with 12.9.
• Al “Bubba” Baker’s league-leading 23.0 sacks in his rookie season for Detroit became the single-season record that still stands today. He would lead the league again in 1980 with 17.5 sacks. His 56.5 sacks in his first three years are the most by any player in their first three years.
• From 1981 to 1984, the Jets had a league-leading player in three of four years: J.Klecko with 20.5 (1981) and M.Gastineau with 19.0 and 22.0 in 1983–84.
• Reggie White’s league-leading 21.0 sacks in 1987 came in just 12 games, based on what I can find, this is the highest single-season per game rate (1.75).
• These guys led the NFL in sacks: Bryce Paup with 17.5 for Buffalo in 1995; Michael Sinclair with 16.5 for Seattle in 1998; Derrick Burgess with 16.0 for Oakland in 2005. That’s all — I’m just surprised to see these names.
• Three teams had their first ever NFL sack leader in just the last 5 years: Arizona with Chandler Jones (17.0) in 2017; Atlanta with Vic Beasley (15.5) in 2016; Tampa Bay with Shaquil Barrett (19.5) in 2019.
• Kevin Greene (Pit and Car) and Jared Allen (KC and Min) both led the NFL in sacks with two different teams.
• The oldest players to lead the league in sacks were Coy Bacon (1976, CIN) and Kevin Greene (1996, CAR) at age 34. The youngest player was Al “Bubba” Baker at 21 in 1978.
• The all-time career sack leader, Bruce Smith never led the NFL in sacks.

Source: Pro-football-reference